Rating: 
Summary: WOAH! Who forgot the good taste?
Review: Movies like this look much better in print then they are. "The Most Controversial Movie in History" is the best title for it. It is one of those movies that a bunch of guys rent on a Friday night just to see how far it goes. Well having seen it I can say that it goes FAR! WAY TOO FAR! Do not get me wrong, the acting and the sets are wonderful (the actors that aren't Penthouse pets or porn stars). Malcom Macdowell is great in the title role. But the movie is just plain sickening. The porn factor is one thing (some of the most graphic sexual activity you will ever see in a major motion picture) but the violence is way out of control. There is no redeaming value to watching dogs hungrily eat a man's genetaila after being castrated. And the sexual content goes beyond just the graphic orgies. There is beastiality, necrophilia, homosexuality, midgetry, etc... Sorry guys, you won't be watching this one in history class anytime soon. The movie makes you want to jump in the shower after it ends for there is nothing clean about it at all. It is really quite sickening. But if you watch it for the basic reason just so you can say you have seen it all, then there is some value to the film I guess. But be forwarned, it doen't just push the limits, it destroys them.
Rating: 
Summary: More About Porn Than History.
Review: Much has been made of the promotion that "Caligula" is the most controversial film in history. If it is, then it must not be controversial because of historical value like let's say, Oliver Stone's "JFK," no, it has just caused a ruckus because it is THE motion picture porno. "Caligula" is a big, boring and badly-filmed mess. There is no historical value here because it's obvious that it concentrates more on the sex, rape, necrophilia and bestiality than the history it tries to portray. The dialogue is corny, the plot is a big mess that you never understand and it makes no sense. There are scenes of carnage that are unnecessary, like one where a man's genitals are cut off and fed to dogs who happily eat them on camera. I'm not against violence in movies, but most of the violence here has no meaning. "Caligula" was so bad, in fact, that the director removed his name from the credits upon release, it's also obvious that most of the porn must have been shot behind some of the talent's back considering I don't think a screen legend like Peter O'Toole who played Lawrence Of Arabia would appear in a muddled mess like this. Look, just take out the togas, fancy (small-looking and un-epic) sets and other Roman attire, hell, take out the cheesy dialogue, and you have here a porno film. I'm sure the story of Caligula can be told with realism and style (which is badly needed here), but not like this. The movie doesn't care about it's history, only about the sex. Some may say, "well, that was what Rome was like." Yes, we know Rome was a little Penthouse party most of the time, but there was also history and intriguing characters involved, "Caligula" just looks at the Penthouse stuff and ignores the characters and history. When I read the DVD cover, I was expecting something pretty good, because I support daring, provocative cinema, but "Caligula" was a depressing experience, it is probably the worst movie I have ever seen, if not ever been made. I wouldn't be surprised if the supposedly used screenplay was ignored, just look at the credits, no one is credited with actually writing this pile of trash, the writing credit only states that the film is BASED on a screenplay by Gore Vidal. Now what could that mean? In the end, "Caligula" is a sickening, depressing movie. You won't be surprised if you find yourself yawning in boredom thinking: "What the hell is the point of this movie?"
Rating:
Summary: Caligula DvD
Review: I generally like period films, and historically accurate films. However, I found Caligula disturbing, and a bit too graphic for my taste. Even if it is historically accurate, I found the sex scenes gratuitous. The making Caligula, on the dvd is informative. Sometimes the video and sound quality aren't what they should be. The movie is well cast, and for me that saves the movie and makes it worth having. This is probably the only time you see a cast this good in a movie this graphic. No one under 21 should be allowed to see it.
Rating: 
Summary: Caligula
Review: True to live no holds barred story about one of historys strangest rulers.
Rating: 
Summary: Judge it for yourself
Review: Caligula, one of the most controversial movies ever made, is now available on DVD. This film was a real eye-opener for me, and the DVD is far superior to the VHS that was floating around a bit in the '80s (for all you people complaining about the quality, just shudder to think of how it used to be). The story of Rome's infamous emperor was probably not this wild in real life, but this is Penthouse and as a result is chockablock with sexual scenes and graphic violence. Because Caligula is basically in every single scene, it's hard for the other characters to develop, but there are some colorful supporting players, and McDowell really delivers. It's hard to believe his next film was to play the reserved, scholarly H.G. Wells ("Time After Time.") He is quite a talented actor. The movie drags on and on, and sometimes the cinematography is uncertain, but other times it is dead on the money. The film is a bit grainy on DVD, but as someone else once said, this really contributes to the "gritty" factor. As far as realism, many of the sex scenes look real, but I doubt the world has ever seen the likes of that purple-skinned four-eyed (or was it three-eyed?) woman, plus the guy with all those extra digits and the siamese twins joined at the head resting at Tiberius' palace. And how about the scene where Caligula "consecrates" that marriage...if that's how it was, I'd never get married. The DVD has these things going for it: the creepy music added to the menu (the same as the opening title with the quote from Mark), the 30 chapters nicely divided up, the documentary about the making of featuring Gore Vidal and Bob Guccione (although in places everyone's face looked way too pale, but it was an old '70s film), and the sound is far superior to the VHS from what I can remember. But this is Caligula and I would definitely not let anyone under 18 (or maybe even 21) watch it.
Rating:
Summary: Can't miss it
Review: Caligula is one of the best movies based on Roman times ever made. Great performances, excellent actors, and a plot based on true facts. Yes.., it has porno parts, but it is NOT a porno movie, it's dynamic and heavy plot is divided by porno parts that show, perhaps for moments overacted, how Roman orgies were. About the violence, well, I would say it's not as violent I heard, the violent scenes perfectly fit in the plot and simply transmit a heavy sense of power, the power Emperor's and their closest people had over the rest. McDowell is the perfect Caligula, O'Tool shines as Tiberius, and the rest fit perfectly well. It's not a movie to watch with your mom, but it's really entertening, and amazingly interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Much Ado About Nothing
Review: Bob Guccione's "Caligula" is an attempt for a pornographer to make a movie that serves to promote his magazine. The movie is an attempt to reconstruct the life of the troubled, inbred young Roman Emperor Caligula. Bob Guccione, creator of Penthouse magazine, and the film's producer, uses the film to illustrate the decadance of ancient-Rome. This is very fertile ground for a pornographer. While the acting of Malcom McDowell is outstanding, the film is hard to watch because sex is at every turn throughout the film. This seriously detracts from the plot. However, anyone who appreciates on screen X-rated sex will welcome this. To be honest, the Imperial Bordello scene toward the end of the film is incredibly kinky and arousing. One of the major flaws in the film is the accuracy of Caligula's insanity. While many of the outragoeus actions portrayed by McDowell did happen, many did not. The ancient Roman historian Suetonius is our chief source on Caligula. The record on Caligula left by Suetonius in his "Lives of the Twelve Caesars," does not provide nearly the amount of insane actions surmised by Guccione's film account. Beware, the film is seriously dated, and wreaks of a 1970's porno advertisement.
Rating:
Summary: So this is what a $15 million porno film looks like...
Review: The film lives up to it's reputation in the graphic sex dept. (we're talking hardcore sex), but the violence, while harsh, is not half as graphic as most people would have you believe (in fact, a little less sex and a bit more violence would have made this film more entertaining). It is obvious where the money was spent (lavish sets and top-notch lead actors), but it is also obvious where the money was not spent (poor direction and sometimes hap-hazard editing). While the film-makers tried to show the decadence of Rome, the film only succeeds in assaulting the viewer with scene after scene of heterosexual, homosexual, transgender and mutant sex (yes, mutant sex!) interspersed (all too infrequently) with scenes of graphic violence. Caliguala even ends up in bed w/ a horse. There is not a whole lot of stylistic visual appeal in this film either. Instead, the film-makers just go for shock value, heading into Fellini territory by populating the scenes w/ non-stop nudity and mutants. McDowell gives an excentric performance as Caligula, while O'Tool seems to be the only one having any fun as the old emperor Tiberius. The rest of the cast just drifts through the film till they are killed off. The worst part about this film is the fact that it goes on for 156 minutes! Not a great film, but certainly worth seeing once so you can tell your kids that you saw the most notorious big-screen movie release in history. Also makes a great collectors item, since it is now on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: McDowell Delivers!
Review: The first time I saw this movie, it was playing at a local art film theater. I had heard about how graphic this film was in every respect. I wasn't led astray. Despite its explicit nature, Caligula is quite a good film. Malcolm McDowell(who, in my opinion, is in the top 10 greatest actors of all time)is very good, as always, as are Peter O'Toole, Helen Mirren, and Sir John Gielgud. They more than make up for a few corny (some downright stupid) plot and visual elements. The plot revolves around Caligula, a young man who becomes emperor of Rome after he has his uncle, the current emperor, killed. It takes the viewer through a graphic (yet historically accurate)display of the decadence of ancient Rome(with very convincing set pieces) as it shows Caligula's slow decline into insanity. Before viewing this film keep in mind that it is very graphic in its violence and sex (unless you're viewing the R-rated version that has almost 1 hour cut from its original running time). Also keep in mind that although it is graphic, it is also (for the most part)historically accurate. So, if you want to see some of the most impressive sets in recent memory & a few of the world's greatest thesbians at work and beleive you can handle its extreme nature, I would definatly give Caligula a try.
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad or as good as some say...
Review: After viewing the Unrated DVD of "Caligula" I felt that it is an overhyped film. I don't know how historicaly accurate it is, but those offended by heavy doses of violence need not apply. Basically it is a dramatically mediocre movie with hard core porn and repellent violence throughout. Some of the sets are impressive, "Caligula" could have benefited from better camerawork. The acting is good (under the circumstances) and McDowell does a good portrayal of insanity. All in all, its worth watching, but you're not missing anything if you haven't seen it.
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